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Co-codamol addiction

Posted , 5 users are following.

EVE87388
EVE87388

I have been taking co-codamol 30/500 for about 4 years now following an accident and for ongoing back pain.  I have never told anyone, ever! I get them on repeat prescription every two weeks, I would take about 5 per day.  I wish I'd never ever been prescribed them, but I needed them at the time of the accident and they are the only things that help my back pain.  Only I actually dont have back pain all the time, I tell the doctors this to get them, now they dont even ask.  The reason I take them, apart from loving the feeling, but for the last 20 odd years I have been suffering from constant sinuse pain, really terrible headaches which have been going on for years and years, since I was about 20.  The Co-codamol are the only things that take the edge of my headaches, nothing else works and I have tried everything.  I am worried because I have been taking them for so long. I have never gone over 8 per day, I try to keep them down to 5.  Sorry for ranting on but this is the first time I have ever spoken about this.  Now to add to the problem, I have been prescribed 40mg citalopram and 150mg pregabalin due to stress, anxiety and chest pain.  I feel like a total junkie! The sad thing also is that I hid the co-codamol from my husband, he knows about the other medication, but not the co-codamol, I know I need help!  What stops me from doing anything about it is because I cannot cope with headaches as I get them really bad.  They have been going on for at least 20 years so I dont think its due to the tablets.  Any advice would be much appreciated x

0 likes, 18 replies

18 Replies

  • Barden832
    Barden832 EVE87388

    Posted

    Hi Elba. I don't see that you have anything to beat yourself up about.

    You are a classic case of where you can prove that your medication is doing you good. Just relax and enjoy the benefits. You have no reason to be ashamed of taking it.

    Co-codamol is just a pain killer which does have side affects like any drug. In my case it's constipation which I cope with in other ways.

    It can be hard to give up but, as in my case, it sounds as if you will be on it for the rest of your life.

    So what! Enjoy the relief and tell the world how wonderful you feel.

    Wish you well

    • EVE87388
      EVE87388 Barden832

      Posted

      Hi Barden, thanks for your kind words, I have to say that I dont suffer from any side effects at all but I still feel bad for taking them, especially as I hide them from everyone!  But I have to say that I do count on them and if I didnt have them, I honeslty dont know how I would cope without them. I keep saying to myself, that if I was doing myself harm, then surely the doctor would say something?... Maybe, maybe not... All I know is that they are the only thing that ease my pain, whether is it back pain or headaches and I never go over the recommended 8 per day, I try and keep it to 5 max per day.  Thanks again for you kind words, sometimes I feel totally lost because no one knows and I feel like I have this dirty secret!...
  • jane75220
    jane75220 EVE87388

    Posted

    Codeine is one of the vilest drugs according to a neurologist I saw who specialises in headaches.

    I had been referred to him by an ophthalmologist  due to  severe daily headaches of  over five months duration and a throbbing pain in my right eye which was swollen due to codeine. I had dry eyes and eye concretions all due to codeine, just

    3 to 4 a WEEK!

    Scientific and clinical evidence  from a famous London neurolohical and neurosurgical hospital shows that over usage of medication causes headaches particularly codeine.

    In my case a small dose.

    10 days after stopping this 'drug' my headaches subsided then became tolerable then went as did the throbbing of my eye.

    I was never addicted to it but I still had withfrawal (WD) signs and symptoms.

    There is no way of avoiding these .

    ?I expect that you know there are two ways of getting off this toxin. Cold turkey or tapering.

    CT is unpleasant but quicker than tapering.

    Drugs given to 'help' tapering or with wd cause dependency in themselves!

    I went CT and very glad that  I am off the poison now.

    Never again.

     

  • jane75220
    jane75220 EVE87388

    Posted

    Codeine is an opiate.

    It can cause liver damage amongst other things and chest pain.

    Opiates are a group of drugs that is highly addictive as I think you stated.

    ​I was curious as to why you are taking pregabalin/lyrica?

    .

     

    • EVE87388
      EVE87388 jane75220

      Posted

      I have been precribed pregabalin due to chronic chest pain that was a result of high stress levels and anxiety caused by my work place.  I have just returned to work having been off for 6 months.  I will aim to reduce both the pregabalin and citalopram in the near future.  I only take what I am prescribed with these drugs. I want to be free from all drugs asap, but I know that for some of the meds I am on, I cannot go cold turkey unfortunately
    • jane75220
      jane75220 EVE87388

      Posted

      i If you intend to taper off the codeine do you have a plan?

      Does your dr know about the problem with codeine ?

       

    • EVE87388
      EVE87388 jane75220

      Posted

      He knows that I take them, of course says you, but I've never told him that I think I've a problem with them. But what do I do about the pain, I have ongoing back & hip pain that will probably always affect me and then the headaches which I've being suffering from the past 20 years usually cause by sinuses and tension. It's like a vicious circle for me.

    • jane75220
      jane75220 EVE87388

      Posted

      I am not a dr so cannot advise about medication I am very sorry.

      SINUS PROBLEMS.

      ?Just wondering if the dr has referred you for an ENT opinion.

      ?The only 'advice ' Ican think of is that you google the side effects of codeine and other opiates and then take it from theree. It is entirely your decision what to do. I know of people taking codeine for over twenty years then seeing the light coming off it then feeling a lot better. Other means of pain managemet are being used without the need of addictive drugs that cause headaches.

      I researched codeine after my neurologist put me wise about the dangers of this drug. It may be helpful if you did this too.

      ?Has anyone suggested acupuncturee, CBT, Mindfllness, Yoga, physiotherapy, Pilates, meditation, counselling , Thre are excellent free online videos on these issues .

      Meep strong, you can do it.

       

    • jane75220
      jane75220 EVE87388

      Posted

      Eve Sorry about the typos in the previous posting.

      ?U are welcome. Codeine is a nightmare to come off but it can be done.

      I suggest googling Coping mechanisms for opiate withdrawal.

  • claire46247
    claire46247 EVE87388

    Posted

    Hi Eve, my story is very similar to yours. I was prescribed cocodamol for a jaw problem that resulted in headaches and found they got a hold of me. I do take more than what u state u take though. Like you I hid it from my husband (and everyone else) but one day found the courage to tell him and it was just relief to get it off my chest and he helped me to cope with it and plan with me how to control it. Perhaps talk to your husband, it helps to have someone to talk to so your not on own with this?

    I also spoke to my doctor who prescribed codeine phosphate instead of the cocodamol I was taking. The codeine is the addictive part but the paracetamol is the one that does the most damage to the body if taken in excess. So I was getting what my body craved and at the same time reducing the risk.

    I have cut down what I take, but I have bouts where I need them to cope both physically and mentally. I don't think I will ever be completely off them but I do know where I am is better than where I was.

    I hope that you can find a way to make yourself feel better about your situation, but please don't beat yourself up, it can happen to anyone, we are all here for that reason. Best wishes xxx

    • jane75220
      jane75220 claire46247

      Posted

      Claire I am sorry to read this.

      May I just say that the dependence on codeine is a physical and psychological dependence. It was explained to me that the mind is tricking the body  into thinkking that  it, the body, needs the drug . It is just a trick of the mind to keep putting the poison into ones body.

      I other words the drug is controlling you/me etc insteadofthe person controlling the drug. That is why  this toxic substance is so addictive and hard to come off. However I am living proof that it can be done.

      ​I was  not even addicted to it. That is the irony. I took two a day for a dislocated shouldr for a few weeks then cut it down to one at night then one in the morning to relieve the pain and stiffness of my shoulder. After several months I reduced it even further to three to four times a week.

      I then started with severe and I mean severe headaces etc. Five months later I was told hat it was the codeine. Anyway I have discussed all this in previous posts.

      I was off this poison for a year then re commenced it for osteoporosis. I then ended up in hospital with severe constipation requiring an enema, then a gastroscopyand colonoscopy. I was then told that thecodeine had caused these bowel problems.

      I just do not want to go through all that again.

      I have not taken any codeine for nearly six months.

      I do not intend to take any more as long as I live after what I have gone through,.

      I justwanted to say that it is possible, very possible to stop this hateful drug and to have some quality of life.

      I wish you well.

      Take care.

      r

       

    • claire46247
      claire46247 jane75220

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply. I would be tempted to say that the drug should be prescription only like it is in other countries but that would make life so difficult for people who are struggling to cope without it and also put the doctors in a difficult position. It's an awful addiction

    • jane75220
      jane75220 claire46247

      Posted

      Mine ws prescribed. I have loads left over.

      I think there are alternatives to opiates.

      ​I was not addicted to this drug that is the irony.

       

    • EVE87388
      EVE87388 claire46247

      Posted

      Hi Claire, many thanks for your story, I really appreciate all the advice that people are giving me, you are all so kind.  I know now that I have to speak to my husband about this, I hate the fact that I hid it from him.  I kept my CC at the bottom of my wardrobe in an old handbag and I have a plastic bag there too for all the empty pill cases.  I cried my eyes out one day when I took the plastic bag of empties out to dump in a public bin and couldnt believe the amount of tablets that I had taken over the months!  I felt disgusted big time but kept going.  I know that I dont take as many as some people, I have never gone over 8 in 24hrs but its the fact that I take them every single day no matter what! God it feels so good to admit this!!

      Thanks again Claire xx

    • EVE87388
      EVE87388 jane75220

      Posted

      Hi Jane, my goodness you had a terrible time with this drug! I am so glad to hear that you have recovered.  Thanks again for everything, all the best xx
    • claire46247
      claire46247 EVE87388

      Posted

      I'm sure he will understand and he will just want to help you. Your story sounds so similar to mine it's uncanny, being shocked at the empty pill packs and putting them in public bins so no one in the house sees them is all what I've done too. It's such a nasty drug, I wish I'd never taken that first one, but We can't change the past, only our future xxx

    • jane75220
      jane75220 EVE87388

      Posted

      Hi Eve

      I am determined that I will never take this stuff again.

      ​

      People who have successfully withdrawn from it tell me how much better they feel.

      Keep strong.

      ​

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